John's Life

John Quiroz
Born May 30, 1961 to Dorothy and John Quiroz. John and his
dad shared more than just their names, they also shared a
birthday. Both were born on May 30.
John has an older brother, Mark Quiroz, who currently resides

in Roanoke Va where his grown children, (John’s Neice and
Nephew) Katherine, and Christopher visit o�en. And a sister,
Connie Miller, who passed in 2005 from Lung cancer. Connie’s
son,(John’s 2nd Nephew) Bret, also lives in Virgina, and visits his
Uncle Mark o�en.
Mark and John shared many childhood memories. Mark shared

this one with me: Once the family took a day trip to Big Bear
Mountain in California. It was Winter, & in Big Bear there was
snow on the ground, but the roads going up there were all
plowed. About 3/4s of the way up to the summit, it started to
snow - big, fluffy flakes - and our parents felt we should pull
over so they could discuss whether to turn around and head on
back home or continue to the top. Of course, the boys, as soon
as the car was stopped - with the ignition turned off - Little
Dude (4ish) & Big Dude (olderish), leaped out from the
back seat, and started running around in the freshly falling
snowflakes, scooping up fluffy snow and proceeded to try to
annihilate each other, they got coated with enough snow to,
after getting back into the warm car, become pretty
soaked! But before they reluctantly got back in, they created a
brand-new game: “Catch the Flake with the Tongue Game!”
When Mark got married, he and his wife, Elaine, worked at a

ranch just outside Yellowstone in Wyoming. John spent a
summer working there with them, and often shared stories of
taking unknowing tourists to the back country on horseback,
setting camp and doing the cookout. He cherished the times he
spent with his older brother. Once, or so the story goes, John
and Mark spent a few days camping in tents without any
tourists. They put up the tent, had their dinner, a few shots of
Tequila, and slept in sleeping bags, only to wake in the early
morning, with the tent on their faces having fallen down in the
night. Mark tells of the pistol John had strapped to his waist,
when he would bend over, the gun would fall out onto the
ground. They were both surprised no one got shot.
John was a California surfer most summers, but he also spent a

summer or 2 working as crew on a Deep-Sea Fishing Boat. The
crew caught Swordfish, Halibut, and other saltwater fish. He
loved to tell stories of the ones that got away. John played Alto
Sax with the Costa Mesa marching band, played tennis and
water polo. He played football with plans of going PRO to play
for the Rams when he injured his ACL. He never played football
again, but he put himself through college learning Electronic
Banking, Finance and Computers. And, every Sunday during
Football Season, for the rest of his life, you could find him on
the sofa watching his beloved Rams play.
John and LeeAnn met in Fresno where both worked the night
shift for a financial services company. This was the early 90’s
and ATMs were just beginning. The company moved their
respective families to Portland, and they continued to be co-
workers for the next few years. Finally, after being close friends
for 5 years, they got married in the little chapel at Oaks Park.
They both started their new jobs at USBank on the same day
and continued to work in the same building until LeeAnn
retired in 2012. John worked from home from that point on
too, and they continued to spend all their time together.
John bought his sports car duly named the Bat Mobile. He
joined the Pacific Northwest Roadsters Car Club. There were
many road trips around the Willamette Valley; They
participated in the Annual Lilac Rally, The Roadsters club
members went on a cruise to Porta Vallarta, and a weeklong
trip to Vegas where they closed the strip so the 100 plus
Solstice and Skys could run the strip unimpeded. One year,
the club leader Mike Perry, who was a Bagpiper with Portland
Police Highland Guard, invited the club members to attend a
Robert Burns Dinner. John and LeeAnn went and met Bob Keller
and Patty Murphy. As they were leaving, Bob told LeeAnn a bit
about the Masons but would not speak directly to John. (We
know now that was the hook). John called Bob the following
day, and they agreed to meet for coffee. And the rest is
history. John took his Masonic responsibilities to heart. He
cherished his Lodge Brothers, and those in the Fraternity. I
know Masonry gave John a direction for his good will, gave him
a purpose, gave his life meaning. He was so very proud to be a
Mason.
John loved spending time doing things in the community when

possible. Together they coached little kid soccer for 4 years, so
LeeAnn’s nephew, DJ would always have a team to play with.
They worked at the Oregon Food Bank, and they supported the
youth drama clubs. They worked with the Coast Guard
Auxiliary and spent many hours traveling the Columbia River on
Bob Keller’s River boat. Bob and John talked Masonry and John
learned a few things.
John and LeeAnn were adventurous people. They loved to

travel. The first trip they took outside of the US, was to
Caribbean Islands of St Kitts and Nevis, where they rode horses
on the beach, went snorkeling with the sea turtles and other
marine life and hiked up the million stairs of the Brimstone Hill
Fortress Na�onal Park. They had such a great �me, John swore
he would never leave – I AIN’T LEAVING; You can’t make me,
he’d say… Un�l LeeAnn reminded him his Sols�ce was in
Portland. That was a recurring theme when John was having
fun.
John was knighted into a Chivalric Order, The Order of
Constatine the Great & St Helen, and quickly rose in the ranks
to be the 2nd in command of the Organization. They traveled all
over the world doing the work of the Order, spreading the
word, and celebrating goodwill. They traveled all over Europe
including Spain, Italy, Germany, Finland, Austria, Finland,
Estonia, & Brussels as well as Japan as part of their Chivalric
Orders. They met many people doing the work of the order and
sharing their good fortune.
In Germany, they spent the night in a 1300’s Castle. In Italy, they

celebrated with other Knights and Dames, Constan�ne the
Great’s win at the Milvian Bridge. In Finland, John was able to
create new Knights and Dames in the Order one year when the
other Nobels were unable to travel. John was so excited and so
very humbled by the experience. You can view the book
created for this event among John’s other memorabilia.
In Spain, they traveled to the birthplace of Quiros; John’s family

line and heard the story of a lowly farmer who saved the life of
the King of Spain. And, finally in Japan, where John and LeeAnn
celebrated a new era for the Order of Constan�ne the Great
and St Helen.
John was the best 2nd dad Chris�na and Michael could have
had. He provided stability and unfaltering pa�ence with them.
When Mikey came to live with us, John treated him like an
adult, told him he had to finish school or get a GED, and get a
job. If he did that, John would give him a car. Mikey did, and
John did. And, when Mikey moved to his own apartment, John
always looked forward to Mikey coming over, for laundry, or
dinner or just to hang out. Michael is a successful Data base
Engineer who recently celebrated his 4th wedding anniversary.
Chris�na was a door slammer, and John would ask her not to
slam, she did anyway. This went on for about a week, then John
just took the door off. No door – no slamming. That was the
beginning of trust and love between them. John took Pizza in
his car to her Drama ac�vi�es, even though he knew his car
would smell like pizza for days a�erwards. He atended every
one of her drama performances, and taught Chris to drive. He
gave her his old Toyota, which she proceeded to wreck. He and
Chris�na became the best Taco mates – always up for a good
Taco adventure. And, when she started having children of her
own, he took on the role of Pappa for them. He had the biggest
grin whenever he held them as babies, and as they grew up, he
always made �me to just be with them. He started playing
Pokémon Go when they moved from Vancouver to Kansas just
so he could share part of their lives. He cherished them.
John’s Masonic life gave him a purpose he never knew before.

He was both humbled and exhilarated about every mee�ng,
every coffee pot shared, every meal eaten, and all the lessons
he learned. His was a life of service, of pa�ence, of
acceptance, of kindness and of love. He loved uncondi�onally
and with his whole being every one of us who entered his life.
And finally, John loved his dog, Thor. I think they are playing
fetch while he watches over us. So, now we can honestly think
what would John do? And know that he would love life, laugh at
all the jokes, drink beer and shots of Scotch, and take his dog
for rides in his car, with the top down and ACDC cranked up on
the radio.
He was that kind of guy, and he will be missed.

John's Life

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

John's Life

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

John's Life

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

John Quiroz

John has an older brother, Mark Quiroz, who currently resides

Mark and John shared many childhood memories. Mark shared

When Mark got married, he and his wife, Elaine, worked at a

John was a California surfer most summers, but he also spent a

John loved spending time doing things in the community when

John and LeeAnn were adventurous people. They loved to

In Germany, they spent the night in a 1300’s Castle. In Italy, they

In Spain, they traveled to the birthplace of Quiros; John’s family

John’s Masonic life gave him a purpose he never knew before.

You might also like